For Woman's Love Part- 2 - Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth (robert munsch read aloud .TXT) 📗
- Author: Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth
Book online «For Woman's Love Part- 2 - Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth (robert munsch read aloud .TXT) 📗». Author Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth
Blessed Sabbath, Before Me, I Only Waited To Close The Works At Six
O'clock, As Usual, And Then I Hurried Away, Packed A Carpet Bag And
Caught, By Half A Minute, The Six-Thirty Express For Baltimore And
Washington, And Came Straight Through! It Was A Twelve Hours' Journey,
My Dear, Without Stopping Except To Change Cars, Which Connected
Promptly, And So You See I Have Lost No Time! I Have Just Arrived, And
Part 2 Chapter 36 (Corona's Departure) Pg 164Did Not Have To Wait Five Minutes Even To See You, For You Were Here To
Receive Me! And Now That I Am Here, My Dear, I Shall Stay To See You Off
With The Nevilles. You Go To-Morrow, As I Understand? There Has Been No
Change In The Programme?"
"We Go To-Morrow, Uncle Clarence," Replied Corona, In A Grave, Sorrowful
Tone, For She Was Sympathizing With Him.
"By What Train, My Child?"
"The Eight-Thirty Express, Baltimore And Ohio Railroad."
"Then I Need Not Part With You Here In Washington. Our Routes Are The
Same For Some Hundred Miles. I Shall Travel With You As Far As The North
End Junction, And Take Leave Of You There. That Will Be Seeing The Very
Last Of You, Up To The Very Last Minute."
Just At This Moment Mr. Fabian Entered The Parlor, And Recognizing His
Younger Brother And Junior Partner, Approached Him With A Shout:
"Clarence! By All That's Magical! Pray, Did You Rise From The Earth, Or
Fall From The Skies, That I Find You Here?"
"How Do You Do, Fabian? I Came In The Most Commonplace Way You Can
Imagine--By The Night Express Train--And Have Only Just Now Arrived,"
Replied Mr. Clarence.
"And How Goes On The Works?" Inquired Fabian Rockharrt.
"Admirably."
"Glad To Hear It. And What Brought You Here, If It Is A Civil Question?"
"It Isn't A Civil Question, But I'll Answer It All The Same. I Came To
See Cora Once More, To Spend The Last Sabbath With Her And To Accompany
Her As Far On The Journey To-Morrow As Our Way Runs Together, Which Will
Be As Far As The North End Junction."
"And You Will Not Reach North End Before Monday Night! A Whole Day Lost
At The Works, Clarence! Ah! It Is Well You Have Me To Deal With Instead
Of The Father--Heaven Rest His Soul!"
"See Here, Fabian," Said Mr. Clarence, "For A Very Little More I Will Go
With Cora All The Way To Fort Farthermost, As Her Natural Protector And
Helper In Her Missionary Work. What, Indeed, Have I To Keep Me Here In
The East Since The Father Left Us? Nothing Whatever. You Have Your Wife
And Child; I Have No One. Cora Is Nearer To Me Than Any Other Being."
"Come! Come Down To Breakfast. You Have Been Traveling All Night
Without Food, I Feel Sure; And Fasting And Vigils Never Were Means Of
Grace To A Rockharrt. Come!" Said Mr. Fabian, With A Laugh.
Part 2 Chapter 36 (Corona's Departure) Pg 165
"I Must Get A Room And Go To It First. Look At Me!" Said Clarence.
"You Do Look Like The Ash Man Or Blacksmith, Certainly. Well, Come
Along; We'll Go To The Office And Get A Room, And Then You Can Get Some
Of That Dust Off You. It Won't Take Ten Minutes. After That We Will Go
To Breakfast."
The Brothers Left The Parlor Together.
The Next Moment Violet Entered It, And Bade Good Morning To Corona, Who
In Turn Told Her Of The New Arrival.
"Clarence! Oh, I Am So Glad! What An Addition He Will Be To Our Party,
Cora, Especially After You Have Left Us, My Dear, When We Shall Miss You
So Sadly," Said Violet.
Cora Made No Reply. She Disliked To Tell Violet That She, Violet, Would
Lose The Society Of Clarence At The Same Time That She Would Lose That
Of Herself, As Her Uncle Was To Leave Washington By The Same Train.
While They Were Still Talking The Two Brothers Re-Entered The Parlor.
When Fabian Demanded Whether They Were Ready To Go Down To Breakfast,
And Received A Satisfactory Answer, He Drew The Arm Of His Wife Within
His Own, And Led The Way Down Stairs. Clarence And Corona Followed. When
They Entered The Breakfast Saloon, The Polite Waiter Came Forward And
Ushered Them To A Table At Which Captain And Mrs. Neville Were Already
Seated. Morning Greetings Were Exchanged, And Mr. Clarence Was
Introduced And Welcomed.
After Breakfast All The Party Went To Church.
Then Clarence And Corona Spent The Afternoon Together At One End Of The
Long Parlor, Which Was So Long And Had So Many Recesses That Half A
Dozen Separate Groups Might Have Isolated Themselves There, Each Without
Fear Of Their Conversation Being Overheard By The Others.
All The Members Of Our Party Sat Up Late That Evening To Eke Out The
Time They Might Spend Together Before Parting. It Was After Midnight
When They Retired.
The Travelers Met At An Early Breakfast The Next Morning. Their Baggage
Had Been Sent On And Checked In Advance. They Had Nothing To Do But Make
The Most Of The Few Remaining Minutes.
When The Meal Was Over They All Hastily Left The Table And Went To Their
Rooms To Put On Their Traveling Wraps.
Fabian And Violet Were To Accompany The Travelers To The Railway Depot
To See Them Off, So That There Was To Be No Leave Taking At The Hotel
Except Of The Baby.
Part 2 Chapter 36 (Corona's Departure) Pg 166
Corona Went Into The Nurse's Room, Took The Mite In Her Arms, Held It To
Her Bosom, Caressed And Kissed It Tenderly, But Dropped No Tear On Its
Sweet, Fair Face Or Soft White Robe.
The Baby Received All This Love With Delight, Leaping And Dancing In
Corona's Arms, Then Gazing At Her With Intense Eyes, And Crowing And
Prattling In Inarticulate And Unintelligible Language, Of Some Happy,
Incommunicable News, Some Joyful Message It Would Deliver If It Could.
"Come, Cora. We Are Waiting For You, My Dear," Sounded The Voice Of Mr.
Fabian In The Hall Outside.
Corona Kissed The Baby For The Last Time, Blessed It For The Vague Sweet
Hope It Had Infused Into Her Heart, And Then Laid It In Its Nurse's Arms
And Left The Room.
"We Shall Barely Catch The Train, If We Catch It At All. And The Captain
Is As Nearly In A 'Stew' As An Officer And A Gentleman Permits Himself
To Get. We Have Been Looking For You Everywhere," Said Mr. Fabian.
"I Was In The Nurse's Room, Bidding Good-By To The Baby," Replied Cora.
"Oh!"
No More Was Said. Baby Was Excuse For Any Amount Of Delay, Even Though
It Had Caused The Missing Of Their Train And The Driving Of The Captain
Into A War Dance.
They Hurried Down Stairs And Entered The Carriages That Were Waiting To
Take Them To The Depot--Fabian, Violet, Clarence And Corona In One;
Captain And Mrs. Neville, And Mrs. Neville's Maid, In The Other. And So
They Drove To The Depot, And Arrived Just In Time To Take Their Tickets
And Rush To Their Seats On The Train, With No Further Leave Taking Than
A Kiss All Around, And A General, Heartfelt "God Bless You!"
The Train Was Speeding Away, Leaving Washington City Behind, When Our
Party First Began To Realize That They Were Really "Off" And To Take In
Their Surroundings.
Captain And Mrs. Neville Sat Together About Midway In The Car. Clarence
And Corona Sat Immediately Behind Them. On The Opposite Side Sat Mrs.
Neville's Colored Maid, Manda, And In The Rear Corner, On The Same Side,
The Captain's Orderly--A New Recruit. About Half The Remaining Seats In
The Car Were Occupied By Other Travelers.
At Harper's Ferry, Amid The Most Beautiful And Sublime Mountain Scenery
Of Virginia, The Train Stopped Twenty Minutes For Dinner, Which, In
Those Ante-Bellum Days, Was Well Served From The Hotel At The Depot.
After Dinner, The Train Started Off Again At Express Speed, Stopping But
At Few Stations, Until Near Night, When It Reached North End Junction,
Where Mr. Clarence Was To Get Off.
Part 2 Chapter 36 (Corona's Departure) Pg 167
"Cora, My Darling, We Must Part Here," Said Mr. Clarence, Gathering Up
His Effects, As The Train Slackened Speed.
"Oh, Uncle Clarence! Dear Uncle Clarence! God Bless You! God Bless You!"
Sobbed Corona.
"Keep Up Your Heart, Dear One. You May See Me Sooner Than You Dream Of.
The Missionary Mania Is Sometimes Contagious. You Have It In Its Most
Pronounced Form. And I Have Been Sitting By You For Eight Hours,"
Replied Mr. Clarence, Forgetting His Prudent Resolution To Say Nothing
To Corona Of An Incipient Plan In His Mind.
"What Do You Mean, Dear Uncle Clarence?" She Anxiously Inquired.
"I Hardly Know Myself, Corona. But Ponder My Words In Your Heart, Dear
One. They May Mean Something. Here We Are! Good-By! Good-By! God Bless
You!" Exclaimed Mr. Clarence.
"Good-By! God Bless You!" Cried Corona, And They Parted--Clarence
Jumping Off The Train Just As It Started Again, At The Imminent Risk Of
His Life, Yet With Lucky Immunity From Harm.
Corona, Looking Through The Side Window, Saw Him Standing Safely On The
Platform Waiting A North End Train To Come Up--Saw Him Only For An
Instant As Her Train Flashed Onward, And "Pondered His Words In Her
Heart," And Wondered What They Meant.
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